Improved hemp-brake



No. 24,264. Patented May 31, 1859.

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W2 I W 2 Shets-Sheet 2.

H. I. MANN.

I MACHINE FOR BREAKING HEMP AND FLAX.

No. 24,264. Patented May 31, 1859.;

Witnmws:

ln'vcntor' UNITED STATES PATENT Y OFFICE.

HENRY E'HANN, OF LA POR'IE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AXDXYM. I.\VAL'KER, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVED HEMP-BRAKE.

- Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 24.261. dated May 31,1559.

I0 all whom, it may concern/.-

of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1represents a view in perspective of ahemp and flax breaking machineembracing my improvement; Fig. 2, a top view ol the same; Fig. 3, alongitudinal vertical section. justable arms detached from the machine.

In this class of machines it is an object of great practical importanceso to construct them as that the operator can atwill readily change therapidity and intensity or height of the stroke of the breakers, so as tosuit the different kinds of flax or hemp that is to be sub jected to itsaction, and also to suit the diifer ent stages of the operation; but assuch machines are intended to be used as well on farms or plantations asin iiax-mil1s, it is also important that they should be simple in theirconstruction, strong, and little liable to get out of repair. To supplysuch a machine is the object of my invention.

In the accompanying drawings, the frame of the machine is represented asconsisting of two side beams, A, firmly secured and connected togetherat their ends by frame-standards C. At or about the middle of themachine the sides are also connected by a cross-beam, B, in which aresecured the ends of a series of ribs, a, the other ends of which areframed into the end piece, (3.

The upper sides of these ribs are beveled off to an edge. Immediately inthe rear of these ribs and cross-beam B, and on the upper side of thebeams A, are arranged two boxes, D, in which are formed bearings for thepivotal shaft 1) of the brake E, the swinging brake E for this purposebeing firmly bolted to a bed-plate, F, and which is so made as to becast on or otherwise secured to the shaft 1), the rear end of thebed-plate being provided with aprojection, f, for apurpose to bepresently described. As the swingbrake E is made in the usual manner, itis scarcely necessary further to describe it than by stating that italso is provided with edged Fig. 4 represents the disk with its adribs0, arranged at suitable distances apart, Be it known that I, HENRY F.MANN, of the I city and county of La Porte, and State of Indiana, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Breaking Hemp orFlax,

and so, that they will, on the brake being the open spaces formedbetween the ribs (1,

which are secured to the main frame oi', the

machine.

Immediately in rear of the projection f on the bed-plate is arranged awheel, G, armed with a. series of radial cams, c, and -mounted on ashaft, g, having its bearings also on the sides of the frame, butslightly raised above the bearings of the pivotal axis 1), the object ofwhich is to bring the lower or beveled edge ot' the cams c in a-linewith the upper side of the projection f on the bed-plate F, when thelatter is in a horizontal position. These cams are made adjustable inradial slots .r, cut in the wheel G, so as to enable the operator tolengthen or shorten them at will, in order to give a greater or lessfall to the breaker E by simply inserting astrip of metal between themand the bottom of the slot, and then key- .ing them fast. Thisadjustment alsocnables the operator, as the cams wear, to adjust them tothe required projection beyond the face oi the wheel to give thenecessary fall to the breaker. On the shaft 1 of the wheel is mountendthe driving-pulley I.

In order to give greater-force to the fall of the breaker E, a beam, K,is arranged on the under side of thewheel G and projection f, on whichis secured one end of a spring, h, of any suitable form, the other endof which is made to bear against the under side of the projectionf, sothat when the latter-is depressed by the action of the cams, thusraising the breakers by turning it upon its pivot, and the cams thenpassing the projection, the recoil of the spring on the projection willcause the breaker to descend with a force proportionate to the strengthof the spring upon the flax to break the boon or woody fibery but asdifferent kinds of hemp require different degrees of force to be exertedupon it in order to break it, the beam K is made adjustable, so as toreg is hinged at one-end to the center cross-beam and suitably connectedat theother end to a screw-rod, L, passing through a cross-bean1,

M, bolted in the upper side and rear end of brought into a horizontalposition, take into ed at one end aflywheel, H, and at the other I ulatethe tension. of the spring, to which endit the frame of the machine, itbeing there held in place by a thumb-screw, I, by means of which thatend of the beam can either be raised or lowered, so as to increase ordiminish the tension of the spring, as required.

As the operation of the breaker on ,the hemp orflax isthe same as inthat of other machines of this class, it is deemed unnecessary todescribe it; but it may be remarked thatwhen (in this machine) it isdeemed advisable to diminish the speed of the breaker without changingthe motion of the wheel it maybe effected by withdrawing every alternatecam, so that at each'revolution instead of four there will be but twostrokes of the breaker; or, when six cams'a're' used instead of four, itcan then be made to strike either two, three, or six strikes at regularintervals apart, as may be desired.

Having thus described my'invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. (The combination of the adjustable cams or arms a with the breaker,as constructed, the whole being arranged and operated substantially asdescribed. 1

2. The adjustable spring h, as arranged and operated for'the purposesset forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand to this specification.

H, r; MANN,

Witnesses: v

JOHN S; HOLLINGSHEAD, P. HANNAY.

